3'-Fluoro-3'-deoxyribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates: synthesis and use as terminators of RNA biosynthesis.

3'-Fluoro-3'-deoxy-uridine, -cytidine, -adenosine and -guanosine have been synthesized by glycosylation of the corresponding silylated bases with 1-O-acetyl-2,5-di-O-benzoyl-3-fluoro-3-deoxy-D-ribofuranose in the presence of Friedel-Crafts catalysts and were converted to the 5'-triphosphates, NTP(3'-F). It was shown that NTP(3'-F) are terminators of RNA synthesis catalyzed by DNA-dependent RNA polymerase from E. coli and may thus serve as tools for DNA sequencing.